Chapter 362
Chapter 362
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 362
Chapter Title: The Magic Association (8)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
All the mages in the bunker walked toward the elevator.
Shirone couldn't understand what was happening. Why had he failed? Even if Gauld had blocked the Photon Cannon, that spoke to Gauld's greatness, not his own failure.
‘Wasn't that powerful enough?’
No, what level had Gauld been demanding from him from the start?
“Director.”
Everyone waiting for the elevator to descend turned their heads toward Shirone.
“Please give me one more chance.”
Flu scoffed in disbelief. Daring to ask a Grade 1 Archmage for a second chance. It went beyond audacity; it was a clear lack of respect for the Association.
This time, however, there was no need for her to step in. Gauld was walking toward Shirone with an icy glare.
His thoughts were the same as Flu's. A toy that had lost its amusement value was no different from trash.
“Aren't you mistaken about something? This place isn't for you. You came here to be tested on your qualifications to become my tool. But you couldn't even pass that.”
Shirone admitted that he had misjudged.
“I won't ask you to treat me the same as before. If you give me the chance, I don't mind a real battle. So please, give me another opportunity to demonstrate.”
All emotion vanished from Gauld's face. All that remained was a chilling killing intent.
He wasn't an authoritarian person. But he wasn't so kind as to tolerate the nonsense of a worthless brat.
“Fine to attack? In other words, are you saying you want to take me on?”
“It's not about taking you on, but...”
“Shut up.”
A wave of killing intent erupted from Gauld, and Shirone's vision went dark. Then, a curtain of fire enveloped his surroundings, and a sea of flames unfolded.
Even knowing it was an illusion, he felt his flesh burning from the heat. His mind was filled with sounds of pain, screams, and grief, making it impossible to think.
Guessing Shirone's condition, Flu's face turned pale.
‘This is bad. He's actually going to kill him.’
Those who fall into Gauld's ultimate technique, the Great Scorching Hell, have their minds destroyed by overwhelming terror. Over time, it was a terrifying ability that could suffocate and kill a person with emotion alone.
But Shirone was not consumed by fear. He didn't shed a tear, nor did his knees tremble. He was simply gazing calmly at the Great Scorching Hell.
“H-How...?”
Flu couldn't accept Shirone's composure. Could it be that this wasn't the Great Scorching Hell? But Gauld's grotesque face was identical to the one that had terrified her.
‘So this is what Flu went through. It's no wonder she was terrified.’
Shirone even had the presence of mind to turn his head and admire the surroundings. Then, deciding he'd had enough of his tour of hell, he stared forward again.
His gaze pierced sharply ahead. Though he couldn't see him, he knew Gauld had to be standing there in the real world.
‘Michea Gauld…’
When he heard about him from Flu, he had thought he was just an exceptionally strong mage. But seeing the hell unfolding before him, he could guess what kind of life he had lived, or rather, how far he had fallen.
Shirone closed his eyes and focused his thoughts. No matter if it was hell or anything else before him, an incarnation defined by perfect law would not waver.
Shirone's eyes snapped open. The sea of fire split apart to the left and right, and in an instant, the hell vanished. Then, he saw Gauld's face, the whites of his eyes showing as he laughed like a monster.
“Kekeke, kekekeke.”
Gauld let out a scratchy laugh, his shoulders shaking. Then, looking at Shirone with burning eyes, he spoke.
“Mental Transcendence.”
He thought he now understood why Gangnan, who had been pessimistic about this, had brought Shirone here. His current skills might be lacking, but his talent was certainly that of a top-tier prospect.
“Mental Transcendence? At only eighteen?”
Gando muttered, his face filled with shock.
Flu was just as bewildered. She knew what Mental Transcendence was. But the deeper she delved into it, the more it became an unknown, vague concept rather than an enlightenment.
“Hmm.”
Gauld stroked his chin, lost in thought.
The reason he had considered including Shirone in the project wasn't because he was strong. Right now, there were plenty of people in the world stronger than Shirone. But his ideas were undeniably brilliant.
Among Unlockers, the unique ability to grant mass. And the countless practical spells that followed from it.
Shirone was the kind of talent who could add a touch of genius to the team he had assembled. His talent for finding a breakthrough in any situation could become the key factor in creating a variable in an unfavorable situation.
In that sense, changing the mind of a Grade 1 Archmage was also a talent.
“A real battle, you say? You do know what that means, don't you?”
“Yes. I know you're not one to hold back. I'm prepared to die.”
Gando was worried by Shirone's recklessness. A mage might speak of death lightly. But in a situation of certain death, no mage would say such a thing.
“Fine. But let me ask you one thing first.”
Gauld said, his eyes flashing wide.
“Why are you trying to die?”
Shirone remained silent.
Perhaps he was the only one in this room who saw even a sliver of a chance of survival. That fact made his body tremble like the chill of a winter night.
Gauld rephrased the question slightly.
“What I mean is... what are you imagining? What conclusion have you reached? Do you even know why I called you here? While knowing nothing, do you think there's something behind me important enough to risk your life for?”
“I know nothing. But I have a guess.”
“Oh? Such as?”
Shirone thought of the face of the Archangel Ikael. A warm and gentle angel. But she was also an Archangel once powerful enough to destroy the Kergo ruins.
Why had she... entrusted the future to him?
“There is someone I must meet, at least once.”
The thought first came to him after the incident in the Kazra Kingdom. To be precise, from the moment Guffin's security device was unlocked.
Behemoth, who knew the answer, disappeared along with his Mental Transcendence, but the question etched in his mind still tormented him. That's why he had to meet Ikael.
Shirone's answer was not among the options Gauld had anticipated. While he found the boy interesting, he felt he couldn't go easy on him. He didn't like people who were all talk.
“A brat like you wants to use the Association for personal matters?”
Shirone didn't answer. Gauld's question was emotional and thus missed the point. There was no need to speak in response to a question that didn't need an answer.
As if that was enough, Gauld turned around.
“Alright, I'll give you one last chance. You have one hour to rest.”
Having cast Ataraxia, his mental energy must have been significantly drained.
But Shirone shook his head. If his opponent was going to grant him a concession, there was something more useful than recovering his mental energy.
“That's alright. I have another condition instead.”
Shirone drew Arman, which was sheathed at his waist.
“Please allow me to use my Adamantine Aegis. I believe I should have at least that much of an advantage.”
Gauld looked at the sword in Shirone's hand. He already knew of the object called even before it came into Shirone's possession.
“I thought you were a half-wit, but you know your place.”
Knowing he couldn't win, yet still trying his best, meant he was staking his life on this matter. In any case, it would save time, so it wasn't a bad offer for Gauld either.
“But just holding one object won't change anything. So, let's set the rules.”
Gauld compressed the air above his palm. As the density increased, a transparent sphere shimmered into existence.
“As you can see, what I use is Air magic, something anyone can learn. Specifically, the Press series. I have no talent for magic, so I don't know anything complex. I'm just in this position because my power is a little stronger than others.”
A bitter smile formed on Shirone's lips. If a mage who could block Ataraxia with one hand was only "a little stronger," then every other mage in the world might as well be dead.
Gauld clenched his fist, and the air bubble popped with a bang.
“Anyway, here are the rules. I will once again receive your Ataraxia with Vacuum Press. The only difference from before is that I will cast one offensive spell at you, just once.”
Gauld pointed at Shirone with his index and middle fingers together. A small bubble of air formed at his fingertips.
“The spell I'll use to attack you is, as you can see, an Air Gun. The principle is simple. Compress air, then release it. Is this about 10,000 presses? I'm not sure.”
Gauld's arm flicked upward rapidly. The air bubble, compressed with immense force, exploded, creating a deafening roar that felt like it would burst his eardrums.
The Air Gun shot past Shirone and slammed into the far end of the bunker. Until that moment, Shirone hadn't even registered that something had flown past him. His ears were just ringing. Then, feeling the vibration, he slowly turned around.
A huge crater had formed where the Air Gun struck, with cracks spreading out in all directions.
The cracks spread out over a diameter of roughly twenty meters. Also, though he couldn't confirm it, the size of the Air Gun couldn't have been more than two centimeters in diameter.
Shirone couldn't even blink as he stared blankly ahead. Gauld was smiling, wiggling the fingers he had used to fire the Air Gun.
“Well, it's a spell like a child's prank, but it'll sting a bit if it hits you.”
Sting a bit? Even with the Adamantine Aegis in its ultimate defensive stance, it would be instant death upon impact. But coming from a Grade 1 Archmage, it didn't sound entirely like a joke.
“Anyway. Give it your best shot.”
Shirone smiled, his lips trembling slightly.
He was a terrifyingly strong person, but for that very reason, he wanted to challenge him.
When he fired a Photon Cannon with the four-part combination of Arman's magic amplification, Immortal Function, Mental Transcendence, and Ataraxia, just how high could its power soar?
“Adamantine Aegis.”
The vertically held Arman swallowed Shirone, and the transformation was over in an instant. The artificial brain, Eua, spun around him like a gale before settling on his shoulder.
“I'm starting.”
Gauld remained composed even at the sight of Shirone's transformation. He wiggled his fingers, still in the Air Gun formation. Then, as if being pulled, Shirone charged in.
A halo was already being drawn in the spot where he had been standing. Thanks to Eua's Time Division ability, Ataraxia began to accumulate faster than before.
‘Split calculation. And quite fast, too. At this rate, he could break the 50-second mark.’
Shirone formed a blade of bone from his gauntlet and swung it. But Gauld, still watching the Ataraxia, dodged every attack by simply swaying his upper body.
‘As I thought, I can't win with brute force either. His level of combat experience is different.’
Shirone pressed his attack desperately. The bunker was so large that planting his tentacles would be a disadvantage. But because of that, he maximized Arman's physical enhancement abilities.
‘What is he doing now?’
Flu tilted her head.
Even though both were mages, neither was casting magic. It made sense for Gauld, who could only use his Air Gun once, but it was strange that Shirone was insisting on close combat.
“Why isn't he using his specialty? With Time Division, he should have one slot left, right? If he fired off offensive spells, he might have a chance. The Director can't use defensive magic either.”
Gando replied, his eyes fixed on the battlefield.
“It's because they are both serious.”
“What?”
Gripped by tension, Gando had no leeway to explain further.
In any case, the movements they were currently making held no real meaning. The battle would ultimately be decided in an instant.
‘Perhaps... something completely unexpected might happen.’